LILY. Oh, the good, good quartz! But does it never get inside of
anything?
L. As it is a little Irish girl who asks, I may perhaps answer,
without being laughed at, that it gets inside of itself sometimes.
But I don't remember seeing quartz make a nest for itself in
anything else.
ISABEL. Please, there as something I heard you talking about, last
time, with Miss Mary. I was at my lessons, but I heard something
about nests; and I thought it was birds' nests; and I couldn't
help listening; and then, I remember, it was about "nests of
quartz in granite." I remember, because I was so disappointed!
L. Yes, mousie, you remember quite rightly; but I can't tell you
about those nests to-day, nor perhaps to-morrow: but there's no
contradiction between my saying then, and now; I will show you
that there is not, some day. Will you trust me meanwhile?
ISABEL. Won't I!
L. Well, then, look, lastly, at this piece of courtesy in quartz;
it is on a small scale, but wonderfully pretty. Here is nobly born
quartz living with a green mineral, called epidote; and they are
immense friends. Now, you see, a comparatively large and strong
quartz-crystal, and a very weak and slender little one of epidote,
have begun to grow, close by each other, and sloping unluckily
towards each other, so that at last they meet.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113